Temporal Designs Most Frequently Asked Questions

Question: How much Time does it take to create a complete web site from scratch?
Answer: It can take anywhere from a week to a month or longer, depending on how elaborate your site is, how quickly you can get us content, and how many changes you request. [Back To Top]

Question: What if I do not have any design ideas for my web site?
Answer: That is OK, as many of our packages include 2 different design ideas for your web site that we develop and help you decide on a final design based on your feedback from the 2 designs. [Back To Top]

Question: Why does a web site cost so much money?
Answer: Creating a web site takes a lot of time and many skills as well as knowledge of graphic design tools and doing business on the internet. Providing custom programming code, optimized graphics, interactive, elegant and functional web sites is a technical art form. [Back To Top]

Question: Why should I hire Temporal Designs?
Answer: Surf the web and you will come across many sites that are not very practical, that make finding information or ordering a product too difficult. We use timeless, proven design methodology to create sites that are more functional rather than flashy. Our clients and their customers love our easy-to-navigate user interfaces. Many companies do not test their web pages in other browsers and are losing potential site visitors when their pages do not load correctly. We test on both Macintosh and Windows PC platforms and in a variety of different web browsers. Our company also gives you that personal touch with pleasant, professional, and courteous service. No business is too small. "Mom and Pop" shops are welcome! Visit our "TESTIMONIALS" page to read some feedback from our clients. [Back To Top]

Question: What types of design Tools do you use?
Answer: We use the latest design software from such companies as Adobe and Macromedia, including Photoshop, ImageReady, Illustrator, GoLive, LiveMotion, Flash and Dreamweaver, among others. [Back To Top]

Question: What languages do you program in?
Answer: We program in HTML, DHTML, CSS, CGI, Perl, PHP, mySQL, JavaScript and Flash. [Back To Top]

Question: Do you have any special Certifications?
Answer: Yes, besides backgrounds in computers and design, our lead designer has achieved "Master CIW Designer" (Certified Internet Webmaster) certification from www.ciwcertified.com. He achieved this after successfully completing the following courses and exams: CIW Foundations 1D0-410, CIW Site Designer 1D0-420 and CIW E-Commerce Designer 1D0-425. [Back To Top]

Question: What was the first commercial web site your company created?
Answer: Our first commercial web site was Moonjumpers Children's Clothing Boutique. A client in Los Angles, CA. [Back To Top]

Question: Later on, would I be able to hire another design company to make changes to my web site?
Answer: The current law does say that whoever created the graphics/images is the copyright holder. Basically, we will deliver a set package to you and we like to put a "created by Temporal Designs" text link on your site pages. If you choose to have another company make changes down the road, that is fine with us. If they continue to use our designs, and only make small changes, such as the color scheme, then we would still be considered the designers, but if you hired another company to totally redesign your website with a completely new look, then we would no longer be the designers and would have to remove our "Created by Temporal Designs" link. Most of our clients find it easier to hire us for future changes as we are already familiar with the site structure and have competitive rates, but you may go with whomever you like for future changes. [Back To Top]

Question: How do you collect payment?
Answer: We typically collect payments in thirds... 1/3 deposit to begin project, 1/3 mid-way through project and 1/3 upon final completion of project. Payment may be made by a check or postal money order made payable to "Temporal Designs", or you may pay via credit card or a PayPal linked bank account by visiting our "ORDER" page. [Back To Top]

Question: How secure are online, Electronic Shopping Carts?
Answer: If your shopping cart URL begins with "https://" then it is a secure page with the padlock icon displayed in your browser's status bar (the "s" after "http" means you are on a "secure" page). 128-bit strong encryption is also the norm for web hosts and merchant account providers. We also recommend going with a web host that can provide a personal SSL certificate (see below) for your web site as an additional means of security if you intend on processing online credit card orders. [Back To Top]

Question: What is a SSL certificate?
Answer: SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate works by using a "key" to encrypt sensitive data such as credit card numbers that are transferred over the internet. SSL secure server certificates vary greatly in price and are usually good for one year and then need renewing. Some of the companies that offer them include: Thawte, VeriSign, EnTrust, OpenSRS and GeoTrust (formerly Equifax). Some web host providers will offer discounted rates on setting up your own SSL Cert if you host with them. [Back To Top]

Question: Can web sites accept Credit Card orders?
Answer: Yes, with a Merchant Account (see below), you may accept online credit card payments. If you are a small business you may want to consider a Free PayPal Shopping Cart which will also allow you to take secure credit card orders. [Back To Top]

Question: What is a Merchant Account?
Answer: A Merchant Account is a type of business account with a bank (or a provider such as PayPal and Charge.com) so that you may accept credit cards. Not all Merchant Account providers have an online solution. Merchant Accounts charge a per transaction fee which is generally 2-5% and many also charge an additional per-transaction fee that ranges from $0.10 to $0.50 per transaction. For example: the PayPal fee is 2.2% + .30 cents per transaction for a Merchant Rate and 2.9% + .30 cents per transaction for a Standard Rate. Charge.com fee is 2.35% + .25 cents per transaction for a Merchant Rate. View the PayPal rates here: PayPal Premier/Business Account Fees. View the Charge.com rates here: Charge.com Cardservice Price Comparison. Sign-up for PayPal or Charge.com on our "LINKS" page. [Back To Top]

Question: Which Shopping Cart do you recommend most often for an e-commerce site?
Answer: We recommend "X-Cart Gold" which is a highly customizable shopping cart that features real-time order tracking, discount coupons and gift certificate support, real-time USPS, FedEx and UPS shipping calculator, and over 100 payment gateways (see below) are supported (including PayPal). Qualiteam Corp., the makers of "X-Cart Gold" offer customer support and free access to future releases. "X-Cart Gold" also supports an unlimited number of products and an unlimited number of categories. In addition, you can export sales and customer data to a spreadsheet and export orders to QuickBooks format. Read their product reviews here: X-Cart Reviews and Testimonials. [Back To Top]

Question: What is a Payment Gateway?
Answer: Examples of a Payment Gateway service include: Authorize.net, VeriSign.com, PaymenTech.com, PayPal, etc.. Payment gateways are the connections between the Internet and the secure banking and credit card networks. Your online store must have an account with a payment gateway so that transactions in your e-store can be processed. Your payment gateway provider and merchant account provider may be the same company. Payment Gateways that are compatible with "X-Cart Gold" are located here: X-Cart Gold supported Payment Gateways. [Back To Top]

Question: Are there any special requirements that I need from my Web Host provider?
Answer: Yes, if you plan on using "X-Cart Gold" and "MediaUplink" both require a Unix/Linux web host (server) that supports PHP version 4.0.6 or better and MySQL database version 3.23 or better. SSH (Secure Shell access) will allow us to configure your database-driven site correctly. CGI Forms (see below) require a web host (server) that supports a personal CGI bin/directory. If you are planning on doing e-commerce you will want a web host that supports having a personal/individual SSL Certificate (not shared). Also, you will want a web host that supports having your own domain name... a Dedicated/Static IP address (not shared). [Back To Top]

Question: What is a CGI Form?
Answer: A CGI Form is a way to gather information from your site visitors and then have this information automatically delivered to you via email. Examples of CGI Forms include: online surveys and questionnaires, and forms to gather club member info, or newsletter subscription info, etc. The "Web Site Price Design Estimate Form" available on our "ESTIMATE" page, is another good example. [Back To Top]

Question: How do I get a Domain Name registered (ex. www.yourcompany.com)?
Answer: Click here: www.stargate.com and you can check on name availability and transfer a domain name for as low as $5.95 or register a new domain name for $14.95 per year with Stargate, one of the leading ICANN accredited online domain name providers (Note: Prices are subject to change, please check with vendor for their latest prices). [Back To Top]

Question: How do I send you materials (company logos, text, etc.) for my web site?
Answer: The best way is to send us the digital version of the files via an email attachment (original format, Zipped or Stuffed files). If the files are large, we can set up a temporary FTP site, where you can upload them to. We also accept media on CD-R, DVD-R and ZIP disks. If you have images that need scanning, we can also provide that service. [Back To Top]

Question: How often can I update my web pages?
Answer: You can update your pages as often as you like. After your initial web site is complete, we charge on an hourly basis for updates with a minimum fee of $50. Generally, it makes more sense to wait until you have a bunch of little changes (unless a change is urgent), as even one small change can take a lot of time. For example, even a small change, say to a picture on the home page involves at least 3 steps... 1. Go into the graphics program, Adobe Photoshop/ImageReady and alter the original photo, then re-optimize for the web. 2. Go into the web authoring program, and edit the HTML code to include the updated picture, and 3. Go to your File-Transfer-Protocol (FTP) program to upload the new HTML page to the web host server. If you would prefer to make updates yourself, see the question below. [Back To Top]

Question: Can I make my own updates to my website?
Answer: Yes, we can integrate our exclusive "MediaUplink" (see below) plug-in technology. This is an easy way for you to make frequent changes to your website yourself. [Back To Top]

Question: What is MediaUplink?
Answer: Whether you need to add text or pictures, "MediaUplink" will take care of all image scaling and integrate the text and graphics into your web pages automatically. This is an "Exclusive" technology developed by Temporal Designs and provides database driven web content through an easy-to-use Admin screen for the client. The Admin screen provides input boxes for text and a browse button to select images and files. It supports most common web media formats including .jpg, .gif. .pdf, etc. You will not need FTP software as MediaUplink can accomplish its uploading/uplink tasks through your web browser. Once you upload a new picture, it will be immediately available on the website (there is currently no preview function). If you do not like how the live picture looks, you can always re-upload a new picture to replace it. We also put a "Powered by MediaUplink" graphic icon on any database/admin pages that use "MediaUplink" integration. Here is what the icon looks like:


Question: What kind of Database Integration do you provide?
Answer: We use a combination of a mySQL Database and PHP coding for your database needs. [Back To Top]

Question: Can you tell me more about Web Hosts and Hosting Fees?
Answer: A Web Host is a company that provides a computer on the internet (a.k.a. "a server") where your web site is located. The web host or server can provide many features and they can handle the demands of hardware maintenance and bandwidth usage. A web host will charge a monthly charge ranging from approximately $5 - $50 or more per month. If you sign a 12-month annual hosting contract, you will usually get a discounted rate and possibly no setup fee. Most web hosts charge a one-time setup fee which may range from $20 - $40. Web hosts do not charge a percentage of the sales transactions. However, they usually have additional fees for exceeding your monthly bandwidth if your site transfers more data than your monthly account provides. Also, there may be a relatively small fee for setup of a mySQL Database. [Back To Top]

Question: Will I be able to track my web site Statistics?
Answer: Some web hosts will provide statistical logs free of charge. You can also buy such software, but typically it must be installed on the server, which the web host probably won't let you do on a shared server unless you have a dedicated server which is very expensive. Usually, a web host will provide a statistical logs page, such as Webalizer, that shows the number of visitors, which pages they most frequently visit, and they may also show which web site they came from and how long they stayed on your site. [Back To Top]

Question: How do I get registered with the Search Engines?
Answer: We will register your site with at least a half-dozen free search engines/directories and give you our "Search Engine Submission Procudure" document on getting highly ranked. It will then be your responsibility to re-register your site with the search engines on an annual basis (we recommend to do this quarterly). [Back To Top]

Question: Do you register my site with Yahoo?
Answer: We no longer include Yahoo, as they now require all commercial listings to pay an annual, non-refundable fee of $299.00 per year. It is up to you if you decide you want to pay this extra fee of theirs. [Back To Top]

Question: Do you guarantee my web site to be listed in the top 10?
Answer: Of all the millions of sites, everyone would like to be listed in the top 10. This usually doesn't happen instantly, unless you are paying a search engine for placement. It takes time to determine the right mix of keywords and an effective description. This is where we can help you to develop appropriate META Tags. For example, if you go to Yahoo and type in the search phrase, "gourmet cookies", then below the Sponsored Results at the top of the page, you will see Schmerty's Gourmet Cookies is usually in the top 3 listings. We designed their e-commerce site and helped them develop effective META Tags. [Back To Top]

Question: How effective is search engine registration?
Answer: Search engine registration can be an extremely effective marketing tool for your website. We will help you set up your META Tags for optimal placement via keywords, site descriptions and other techniques. Remember that some websites choose to pay-for-placement ranking or pay-for-search-words. [Back To Top]